티스토리 뷰
Korea’s birthrate is expected to inch up from 1.08 births per woman of child-bearing age to 1.1 in a sign that the downward trend that has worried pundits since 2001 is being reversed. Korea recorded the world’s lowest birthrate last year.
According to tentative figures, the number of newborns is expected to increase by some 8,000-10,000 this year from 438,062 last year. The birthrate is the number of babies a fertile woman gives birth to between the ages of 15 and 49. In fact, Korea will see something of a baby boom next year: marriages and pregnancies have increased due to superstitions surrounding this lunar year’s two first days of spring and the fact that next year is the Year of the Pig. Babies born in the Year of the Pig are said to have comfortable and prosperous lives. It remains to be seen whether the increase is a temporary or long-term trend.
In a press conference, Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook quoted a National Statistical Office report as saying the number of newborns increased by 8,000 and the birthrate was higher than last year in the first eight months of the year.
The NSO estimates the number of newborns will be 12,000-13,000 higher than last year, or a birthrate of 1.13. But the Ministry of Government Administration, based on reports from local governments, put the number of newborns at 5,200 until late October, and therefore at 8,000-10,000 for the year. Official NSO numbers will be announced in May.
Experts point out the increased birthrate is due to the fact that marriages recently jumped 1.6-2 percent and many married women decided to have babies this year after delaying pregnancy for financial reasons. Marriages increased to 316,000 in 2005 after hitting a record low of 304,000 in 2003.